Manhattan (1979)
Studio: MGM 
Theatrical Release: April 25, 1979
Blu Ray Release: January 24, 2012
R
Review by James Klein
"He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion. Eh uh, no, make that he romanticized it all out of proportion. Better. To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin."
And so begins the opening of one of Woody Allen's most critically acclaimed and commercial film (until the recent Midnight in Paris). This is his love letter to his favorite city and thanks to the beautiful black and white cinematography by Gordon Willis, the film has always been such a delight to watch. MGM's new blu ray is simply breath-taking and its widescreen images of the Big Apple has never looked this good.
Woody Allen stars as Isaac, a 42 year old man who just can't seem to find enjoyment out of life. He writes for a TV show he hates and is dating a 17 year old girl named Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) who he is just not in love with although she is head over heels for him. His ex-wife (Meryl Streep) is writing a book about their break up and has found her way into the arms of another woman. When Isaac meets his best friend's mistress, (Diane Keaton) what turns into a huge dislike soon turns into the woman he loves. Isaac eventually quits his job to write the novel he always wanted to write and leavesTracy, believing that he is turning his life around and that he can have a relationship with this new woman until it all comes crashing down on him.
Manhattan can be a strange film at times. While Allen has a few funny zingers, the movie plays more like a drama and seems to focus on the loneliness of people that live in such a big city. Allen also doesn't do a lot of editing tricks or cuts in Manhattan and sets the camera up in a stationary position while the characters talk, yell, laugh at one another and even leave frame at times while we the audience see an empty apartment or an empty landscape. It's as if Manhattan was intended as a play. But the scope of the film is so huge with its amazing long shots of the city that the film continues to have a visually beautiful look that one misses while watching a play.
While Isaac has lost everything he had hoped to achieve and wants to correct his mistakes but can't, Manhattan holds a small glimmer of hope and beauty that is very hard to do in a film such as this. WhenTracy says to him, "Not everybody gets corrupted. You have to have a little faith in people. " and Isaac just stares at her for a moment and a small smile crosses his face, he knows that this naive young girl has a wisdom that he has never known and is in fact, right. Maybe Isaac will be able to continue with his life and find happiness or at least allow people to be a part of his life, without pessimism.
As with Annie Hall, the blu ray contains just the original trailer which is what you should expect with most Woody Allen films that come to blu ray. That is just fine. With visuals such as this, what more could you want?
Theatrical Release: April 25, 1979
Blu Ray Release: January 24, 2012
R
Review by James Klein
"He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion. Eh uh, no, make that he romanticized it all out of proportion. Better. To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin."
And so begins the opening of one of Woody Allen's most critically acclaimed and commercial film (until the recent Midnight in Paris). This is his love letter to his favorite city and thanks to the beautiful black and white cinematography by Gordon Willis, the film has always been such a delight to watch. MGM's new blu ray is simply breath-taking and its widescreen images of the Big Apple has never looked this good.
Woody Allen stars as Isaac, a 42 year old man who just can't seem to find enjoyment out of life. He writes for a TV show he hates and is dating a 17 year old girl named Tracy (Mariel Hemingway) who he is just not in love with although she is head over heels for him. His ex-wife (Meryl Streep) is writing a book about their break up and has found her way into the arms of another woman. When Isaac meets his best friend's mistress, (Diane Keaton) what turns into a huge dislike soon turns into the woman he loves. Isaac eventually quits his job to write the novel he always wanted to write and leavesTracy, believing that he is turning his life around and that he can have a relationship with this new woman until it all comes crashing down on him.
Manhattan can be a strange film at times. While Allen has a few funny zingers, the movie plays more like a drama and seems to focus on the loneliness of people that live in such a big city. Allen also doesn't do a lot of editing tricks or cuts in Manhattan and sets the camera up in a stationary position while the characters talk, yell, laugh at one another and even leave frame at times while we the audience see an empty apartment or an empty landscape. It's as if Manhattan was intended as a play. But the scope of the film is so huge with its amazing long shots of the city that the film continues to have a visually beautiful look that one misses while watching a play.
While Isaac has lost everything he had hoped to achieve and wants to correct his mistakes but can't, Manhattan holds a small glimmer of hope and beauty that is very hard to do in a film such as this. WhenTracy says to him, "Not everybody gets corrupted. You have to have a little faith in people. " and Isaac just stares at her for a moment and a small smile crosses his face, he knows that this naive young girl has a wisdom that he has never known and is in fact, right. Maybe Isaac will be able to continue with his life and find happiness or at least allow people to be a part of his life, without pessimism.
As with Annie Hall, the blu ray contains just the original trailer which is what you should expect with most Woody Allen films that come to blu ray. That is just fine. With visuals such as this, what more could you want?
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